She lay there for a moment, gazing up at the ceiling, her breasts rising and falling as her breathing calmed. As an edge of worry crept over him, she turned her head toward him as a slow smile eased the corner of her mouth upward.
“That was…” She sighed and gave a long, slow blink. “The most remarkable thing in the world.”
He pulled her into his arms, and she rested her head against his chest as if she were made to fit perfectly against him. “I was afraid I would hurt you.”
“I expected something far worse based on my mother’s discussion with me.” Hannah giggled. “But then, she has always been one to overreact.”
“I’m so glad you found it so pleasurable.” Lucien traced his fingertips over Hannah’s silky skin, awed by how smooth and soft she was. “There are so many more ways to share our bodies, and we have a lifetime to explore them together.”
She nestled closer against him. “I eagerly anticipate trying them all.”
And that was exactly how they spent a good amount of their time in the country. During the day, they rode through the countryside in bundled clothes against the chilly summer, warmed by companionship and love. But at night, he taught her about the stars in the night sky and together, they learned each other’s bodies amid a tangle of sheets.
Never had anything in Lucien’s life been more ideal. Never had he dreamed marriage could be like this. And he realized that through all the books on philosophy and the study of life, he’d finally learned the true meaning of happiness through Hannah.
Epilogue
February 1817
London
* * *
Hannah rested one hand on her newly rounded stomach and reached for a tea cake with the other.
“Have you been feeling well?” Amy asked anxiously. “My mother was always dreadfully ill when with child.”
Hannah smiled at Amy’s kindness at always considering others. “In the first two months, I was quite unwell, but Lucien and his mother coddled me endlessly until I was feeling better. I’ve been fine these last two months.”
“The Dowager Countess of Brightstone coddled you?” Lucy asked, incredulous.
Hannah smiled. “Well, in as much as she can. She has been surprisingly welcoming.” From time to time, the older woman had a biting comment, but more often than not caught herself, apologized and restated her words in a softer, more civil manner. She was certainly trying, and Hannah would always appreciate the effort.
“I wonder if you’ll have a boy or a girl.” Jillian tilted her head to the side. “Either way, you’re glowing with happiness.”
“It almost makes one want to get married,” Elizabeth said with a blush.
“Almost,” Lucy muttered.
Which reminded Hannah. “Before tea concludes, I have something for you ladies.” They had spent the last two hours laughing and catching up on what had transpired in their lives over summer. While Hannah giggled and declined to share all, hers had been idyllic; a dream she never had to wake from.
And while Hannah enjoyed the visit with her friends immensely, the weight of exhaustion was beginning to settle over her, a common occurrence since she’d realized her courses had ceased.
“Since I am no longer part of the pact…” She withdrew from behind a pillow the old leather-bound journal with green vines and blue flowers crawling over its edges.
Lucy arched a brow. “That looks familiar.”
“Is that our shared diary from Lady Finch’s?” Elizabeth asked.
“It is.” Hannah presented it in the air with a flourish. She flipped through the pages, filled with five sets of handwriting and paused with a gasp. “Oh my, here is the day I stumbled upon Lady Alison in the stable. ‘I followed a distinct squeaking sound, and much to my surprise…’”
They all erupted into laughter.
“Has anyone had word on Lady Alison?” Elizabeth asked.
Their focus shifted to Jillian.
“Of course, I would have news.” Jillian shook her head wryly. “Very well. Last I heard, the duke intended to propose to Lady Alison, so I suppose we shall see. But in the meantime, my father has agreed to allow me a year to acquire a husband on my own before he throws me into another match.”
Amy frowned empathetically. “But you don’t want to wed.”
Jillian sighed. “At least it is a year from his persistence to secure a husband for me.”
“Or it could be the most romantic introduction to the man you love,” Elizabeth said with delight.
“Elizabeth,” they all cried in unison, which set her giggling.
Hannah held up the book. “Speaking of marriage, it seems only right to grant this to one of you in the hope it will bring you luck in breaking the pact.”
“I don’t want it.” Jillian scooted back on the sofa, away from Hannah.
“Fate will decide.” Hannah pulled four bits of paper from the book’s cover, each folded in half, and spread them in her fingers like playing cards. “There are three stars and one heart. The heart wins.”
Amy reached forward and plucked one from Hannah’s fingers.
“Or loses,” Lucy protested. “What if I don’t want to play?”
Elizabeth took two and passed one to Lucy. “You don’t have a choice.”
Lucy scowled but still accepted the paper from Elizabeth as Hannah handed the last one to Jillian.
They all opened them together, and both Jillian and Lucy exhaled out a long sigh of relief.
“I suppose I’m to receive the book next,” Elizabeth said softly. From her reaction, Hannah could not tell whether that pleased her or not.
“I hear Lord Darington is still perfectly available.” Amy clapped her hands.
Elizabeth turned a strange shade of red. “Lord Darington would no sooner choose me for a wife than the queen would invite me to tea.”
“I wouldn’t say that.” Lucy giggled. “Well, when you tried to mop up your lemonade, you did brush your handkerchief over his—”
“Lucy,” Amy chastised.
Poor Elizabeth’s face went entirely scarlet, and suddenly Hannah realized it might not have been the best idea to impose the suggestion of marriage with the passing of the book. After all, she had meant to share the concept that love was something grand to be had and that no one need alter their life based on a pact signed when they were still barely adults.
“What if he did ask to court you?” Jillian asked suddenly.
They all looked to Elizabeth and glanced down at the journal as she gently stroked its cover. “I don’t believe I would decline him.” She smiled shyly, and Hannah’s fears were immediately quelled.
Hopefully, this book would bring her luck in love. As it had for her with Lucien.
She bid farewell to her friends, eager to join them the following evening at Lord and Lady Whimbly’s ball to open yet another new season. With a tired sigh, Hannah knew it was time to yield to the beckoning of an afternoon rest.
As she climbed the curving staircase, she came upon Lucien’s mother. “Are you well?” The dowager asked, concern crinkling her brow. “Perhaps your friends ought not have stayed so long.”